Fold away assist rails or handles are known or are mountable to a side of a recreational vehicle or the like via securing brackets to the vehicle with suitable fasteners. The handle or railing is foldable between a stored position, where the handle is positioned generally along a side of the vehicle, and an in use position, where the handle extends outwardly from the vehicle for a person to grasp the handle as they are entering or leaving the recreational vehicle. The handle is pivotally mounted to a pair of brackets via a pivot pin at each end of the handle. The brackets are mounted to or installed at the side of the vehicle. Typically, the brackets are biased toward the storage or in use position via a spring biasing the handle into a receiving channel of the bracket. The handle or rail is typically a cylindrical shaped or tubular shaped rail and rests partially within a semi-cylindrical channel in the bracket and is biased or urged toward the recess or channel via the spring. Because the handle is generally cylindrical, the portions of the handle that engage the channel are curved and thus allow the handle to raise upward along the sides of the channels when the handle is pushed toward one side or the other relative to the brackets. The handles thus may be inadvertently moved or pushed out of their in use position to their stored position, such as if a person leans against the handles or the like.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a handle assembly that overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art.